You’re here because you want to build a NAS (Network Attached Storage) solution for your home or office.

Here’s the deal:

After building several NAS rigs myself and hours of research, I’ve rounded up the 3 best NAS cases I’d use again.

I was on a budget so I was sacrificing time to build my own NAS with PC cases — if you’ve got some extra money to spend and want to buy a pre-built NAS, I’d recommend the Synology 5 Bay NAS Diskstation.

It’s expensive but it’ll save you hours of your time.

Now, if you want to get your hands dirty and build your own NAS, let’s dive in:

Top 3 Best NAS Case Options

What is a NAS?

A NAS (Network Attached Storage) is like a personal cloud storage solution for your home or office.

Typically, a NAS has multiple large capacity hard drives configured together in a NAS case, and is attached to your network.

It functions like an external hard drive, except it’s way better than that.

Instead of needing to be plugged into your computer, you can plug your NAS into your router. Then, every device on your network can access it.

If you’ve ever used the network at your school, college, or work as a shared drive that’s accessible no matter which computer you’re using, that was a NAS server.

In addition to storing files, you can use a NAS for game hosting as well.

You can create the same thing for yourself to secure and backup your data, without having to pile up external drive after external drive.

Another benefit of creating a NAS is the ability to use them on multiple devices on your network without having to plug it in over and over.

Why You Should Build Your Own NAS

Here’s why you should build your own NAS:

You’ll have a better understanding of your build and what’s going on. Should any issues arise, you’ll be better equipped to deal with them and get things back on track smoothly.

Customization is another huge benefit. You can customize your NAS to your liking, from the amount of storage to the case it’s sitting in, the options are endless.

Building your own NAS server will save you a lot of money, but remember, this is at the expense of your time.

Best NAS Cases

Top Pick

SilverStone DS380B-USA

Best Small NAS Case

This is the only PC case on our list that is actually designed for use as a NAS case. Its small Mini ITX form factor makes it perfect for building a NAS, not to mention how many drives this thing can hold.

NAS vs Cloud Storage

Building a NAS is like having a personal cloud storage center. Cloud storage is great, but you’re relying on someone else to access all of your data.

If you’re storing sensitive information and/or don’t like the idea of depending on a third party, using a NAS is a great way to eliminate that issue.

Moreover, NAS storage solutions may be a bit more costly to set up, but will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run.

Cloud storage solutions can get expensive, and the more you scale, the more money you’ve got to shell out just to store your data.

NAS vs External Hard Drive

Most people will initially buy an external hard drive or two after their PC starts filling up.

At first, external drives seem like a sound solution. They’re cheap, easy, and portable — perfect for taking with you on the go, too.

But if you’re editing massive amounts of 4K video or have a ton of data that needs to be stored, external drives aren’t going to cut it.

You’ll find them stacking in your office faster than you know what to do with them. Before you’ll know it, you may find yourself owning a mount everest sized pile of them.

Worse still, they can only be accessed from one device at a time.

If you’ve got several computers/devices in your home or office, it can quickly become a pain to plug your drive into each computer over and over.

Instead, it’s far more convenient to access all of your data from one centralized location.

This way, you can access your files from a PC, laptop, Mac, or even a phone, as long as you’re connected to the network.

Again, external drives are a good solution and are easily portable, but can quickly become obsolete when you’ve got too much data to deal with.

Do You Need a NAS Case?

If you find yourself constantly buying new storage solutions — whether internal or external — and always running out of space, a NAS is probably a good idea.

Rather than paying for expensive cloud storage that gets painfully expensive as you scale, a NAS is like your own personal cloud storage solution in your home or office.

It’s perfect for video editors/producers, and anyone who needs massive amounts of storage on a regular basis.

Instead of creating a mountain of external hard drives, buying (or building, in this case) a NAS storage solution is a much better option.

Not only is it more secure and scalable, but it’s also accessible across multiple platforms and devices in your home or office.

External storage can only be accessed by one computer at a time since it needs to be plugged in before use — conversely, a NAS is accessible by every device on the network, no matter where you are or what operating system you’re using (Windows, Mac, IOS, etc).

If you’re using several TB of storage in your PC and still don’t have enough room, or have sensitive data you want to secure and back up on your own server, a NAS is a terrific idea.

However, buying a prebuilt NAS system can be pretty expensive (upwards of $800-$1000 dollars). Builders on a budget can build their own NAS system with the use of a NAS case and a bit more time.